On average, our family spends about $1,330 a month on groceries (22% of our overall budget), which falls right in between the moderate-cost and liberal food plan amounts that the USDA publishes.

I used to be a diehard spreadsheet person. For years I couldn’t fathom paying money for a budgeting tool. And honestly, I still love a good spreadsheet…

When it comes to budgeting, we think of it more as a guide than a rulebook. It’s a suggestion, not something set in stone. Some months we stick to the numbers pretty closely, other months life happens and we adjust.

Over the years, we’ve gone through lots of iterations of our budget. Here’s a peek at what we’re currently tracking.

Budgeting didn’t formally enter the picture for our family until 2016. That was the year E was born, and the year I started my faculty job.